"It's time to kick as and chew gum. And I'm all out of gum."
For those of you who gamed in the mid 90s, you will remember classics such as Wolfenstein, and Duke Nukem. I even played the lesser-known title of Rise of the Triad.
When Duke Nukem 3D came out, TEN (Total Entertainment Network) launched and I was so hooked, that I almost lost a job playing online. Map Packs and custom maps were a must-have. Joystick? We laughed at the masses who played this first person shooter with a fucking joystick.
At the time, the graphics were not the best anyone had seen, but the character and gameplay made it one of the best games out.
ORIGINAL STORY: Assuming the rumors are true, it's a sad day for fans of the first-person shooter genre and videogames alike. Both Shacknews and The Escapist are reporting that sources have told them that the mighty game developer 3D Realms (formerly Apogee Software) -- best known as the company behind Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D -- has shut down. This news comes just a day after 3D Realms celebrated the 17 year anniversary of Wolfenstein 3D's release.
It's currently unknown what impact this will have on the ongoing development of been-in-development-forever Duke Nukem Forever. Many figured the game would never see the light of day even with 3D Realms open, given that the game was first announced in April 1997 and had only seen minimal exposure to the public over the years, with its most frequent appearances being on annual vaporware lists.
We're waiting to hear an official announcement about the status of the company. It's depressing to think that the company that was responsible for so many games I played during my childhood (going back as far as things like Crystal Caves) might be gone for good. Former 1UP news editor Patrick Klepek pointed out on Twitter that 3D Realms' website still has a listing for a level designer, which leaves me with a shred of hope -- however small it might be -- that this is a stunt to get people talking about Duke Nukem Forever.
In all of this, one thing has been confirmed to us: Duke Nukem Trilogy, a platformer for PSP and DS in development at Apogee Software -- a separate entity that was formed last year -- is still in development.
UPDATE: The status of 3D Realms is still up in the air, but Take-Two issued a statement to G4 which stated that Take-Two's publishing agreement didn't provide funds for the development of Duke Nukem Forever, but that, "Take-Two continues to retain the publishing rights to Duke Nukem Forever."
Gringo
Spokane, WA
May 2006
MAY 06, 2009 07:49 PM